Coal - the clean fuel.
I have seen a lot of advertisements lately for using coal to make power.
There have also been several attempts of out-of-state companies to build coal-fired power plants in the northern part of Nevada.
These power plants built in Nevada would mostly make power for other states, mostly California. This is getting to be just like Yucca Mountain in Nevada, storing hazardous waste from nuclear power plants that operate in other states.
I guess the rest of this country thinks Nevada is uninhabitable and good for nothing but a waste dump and a building ground for power plants that belch out exhaust that will cause acid rain and pollute our air worse than it already is.
It also uses a lot of our water, which is in short supply. If you have been to the mid-west and driven through Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and the rest of the area you will know what I mean. It is terrible. I, for one, do not want to live where most of the power generated is going to someone else.
I know that coal helped keep me warm as a child, and in the past has helped this country expand its industrial production. That was the 19th and 20th century. This is the 21st century and I feel it is about time to get off the pot. Alternative power such as solar, wind or geothermal has been studied and experimented with for decades and has come a long way.
Yes, alternative energy is expensive, but mostly because not many people can afford to just power their home or business with them. A massive attempt to generate power with these alternative sources would eventually drive down the cost of the equipment needed to make power this way.
It is true that it would hurt the oil and gas and coal companies, but it is time to change our way of life. I do not know how long people, such as the scientists, governments and others, need to talk about using these methods before they do it.
The state of Nevada has a real opportunity to be in the forefront in this country as a leader in alternative power source and we, the people in this state, could be rich. The amount of sun, wind, and geothermal energy in this state could power the whole country. Sure it is not cheap to build these alternative power plants, but if you build a power plant that is powered by coal or natural gas and put all the exhaust filters and such to try to prevent pollution, it is not cheap.
The last thing to think about is once the plant is built is the fuel to operate it. Coal has to be transported from a coal producing state and that is not cheap. Gas has to be pumped by pipeline from a source and that is not cheap and really not safe, and these fuels have to be used the whole time the plant is running or you do not have power.
Once the alternative plant is built and put on line there is no fuel to be transported to run it. Mother Nature takes care of us with no pollution. So once the cost of the plant is recouped the only cost is maintenance and repairs and replacement of parts that wear out. You also have that with the other plants run by coal and gas as well as pollution and a constant cost that raises each year to power the old type plants. What do we want, people? Do we want to be stagnant and not go with the more efficient methods to make power or continue to use coal and other dirty products to make our lives easy. If mankind alone is causing global warming, as is said, then I think it is time to change our way of thinking and living.
n William Sweetwood is an Indian Hills resident.
